Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Back in May 2010, three months after Alexander McQueen's death, it was announced that Sarah Burton would take over as creative director.

Sarah has a clear vision of what the brand should be like because she had been Alexander McQueen’s right hand for 16 years. And it was she who completed the last ever collection by the designer showcased at Paris Fashion Week in March.

She understands the responsibility she has taken and wants to stay close to McQueen’s vision of fashion. She said:

"The creation of modern, beautifully crafted clothes was at the heart of Lee’s vision. I intend to stay true to his legacy.”

As she gears up to unveil her first womenswear collection for the Alexander McQueen label, Sarah Burton has revealed what to expect from her solo debut – and it’s not all angst and darkness.

“I don’t think it has to have as much angst in it. I think it will become softer,” she says. “There will always be this McQueen spirit and essence. But, of course, I’m a woman so maybe more from a woman’s point of view. There’s always got to be some darkness, because otherwise you don’t appreciate what’s light,” she explains. "I’ve had a training in darkness, but I don’t feel that it’s necessarily a personal thing to me. I’m a bit lighter.”

And as for a typically theatrical show? “That was very much Lee’s territory – the spectacular show, in that way, I can’t try and pretend to be Lee. He was such a lovely man, and his mind never switched off. He was so important to me. You just wanted to make him happy, look after him,” she says. “Although I felt that I protected him, now I feel that he protected me.”

Burton’s first "own" collection will be shown in Paris on October 5th.

More facts on her:

- She was born in Cheshire, England, and is one of five children.

- Burton loved clothes early on: "I always drew dresses. I remember loving Richard Avedon's early Versace campaigns. I used to plaster my whole walls with them when I was a kid."

- She attended Central Saint Martins in London and studied print design.

- McQueen hired Burton straight out of school in 1997, and she began working on everything from menswear to accessories to footwear.

- Burton considers herself a workaholic, but in her spare time, loves to attend art exhibitions.

- Most recently, Burton has started doing needlepoint while watching TV.

- She is married to photographer David Burton.

- She has rooms full of Alexander McQueen pieces but dresses more casually in the office.

- She plans on proving that a McQueen piece, though theatrical, can also be wearable: "What saddens me in a way is that Lee had these incredible shows, but always under that there were amazing pieces you could wear, but somehow nobody ever believed it was wearable."

Hm...isn`t it sacrilege to aspire to make McQueen "more wearable"? Wasn`t the big show part of the concept? Wasn`t it the show that made McQueen more ART than fashion (which is what made him the legend that he is!)? Seriously, if I want something "wearable" I`ll consult Gucci or YSL. There is more than enough "wearable fashion" out there (and most of it looks like it shouldn`t be worn by anyone).

McQueen was never only "all about darkness and angst". Just think of his successful Atlantis collection or his feather dresses!

I`m a bit disapointed that it all sounds so low-key. Of course, nobody can ever truly continue McQueen`s unique vision (or it would take a soul as tormented as his...) but what she says doesn`t sound as if she really wanted to carry on his legacy.

Burberry is revolutionizing the concept of the runway show this september. The upcoming womens summer 2011 show, that is held in London on september 21st, will be brought to customers and buyers by the Burberry Retail Theatre.

There will be (invitation-only) In-store-Trunk-Shows with live-streaming to 25 Burberry stores in 15 countries worldwide. Participating flagship-stores are:

Customers can order the items right from the show and will receive them after only 7 weeks, which means that they`ll be able to wear the summer collection in the end of november already, long before it hits the stores.

As a global, digital event the show can also be seen in a livestream on burberry.com, your cell-phone, iPad or iPhone. You can also comment it in real-time on Facebook and Twitter.